


Bounty Hunter

by GhostGirlJezz



Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-04
Updated: 2014-04-04
Packaged: 2018-01-18 04:53:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1415770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostGirlJezz/pseuds/GhostGirlJezz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Leia Organa reach out to the fairly peaceful world of Shili, home of the Togruta people, to aid Luke in his quest to rebuild the Jedi, ten years after the Battle of Yavin. He finds himself on the doorstep of Eridia Tano, daughter of late Ahsoka Tano--his father's old padawan. With any luck, she will be the first of many a new Jedi in the new order. Hopefully.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bounty Hunter

**Author's Note:**

> I am no expert in the Star Wars universe(s). If I get something wrong, you should probably put it in the comments (no hate please) and check the same info on Wookiepedia. That's where I'm getting most of my information. I just recently fell in love with Star Wars all over again, harder than ever before. So if you want to recommend anything, just leave it in the comments.   
> Much Love :)

Luke Skywalker leaned over the central control panel of the Millenium Falcon and squinted at Han Solo. He never had gotten the hang of piloting the Falcon. Maybe that’s why Han didn’t let him try anymore. He had almost crashed them seven times since the fall of the Empire, five of those times being in his own ship, the Twilight. He had taken the name from the Jedi records of his father. Twilight was the name of one of his favorite ships.   
Han hit some gauge and cursed. “Coming in for a landing,” he told everyone. “Everybody strap in.” Leia and Chewbacca took their seats and Luke did the same as they reached the surface of the planet Shili.   
“Now,” Leia said once they’d landed, “who are we here for?” His sister was dressed in a white shirt, black pants and black boots. Very low-key for a princess  
Luke stood; that was his cue. He pulled out a hologram generator he had salvaged from the old Jedi Temple. It flickered to life, showing the profile for a young woman. “This is Eridia Tano. She’s a young bounty hunter who lives on this planet. I found the file on her mother, Ahsoka Tano, in the Archives. She was a Jedi Padawan to my father. Apparently, she was framed for a few crimes and expelled from the Jedi order. When they exonerated her, she just left. That’s why she wasn’t killed when the rest of the Jedi were.” Luke had spent the first eight or nine years after the fall of the Empire just piecing together what had happened. He dug through countless records in the old Jedi archives, putting together the story as best he could. He added as much information as possible. He asked people to come forward and share their stories. He also found the not-so-well-hidden records of the Empire’s rise to power in the old Senate Building’s damaged computers. Then, he found the Holocrons. He didn’t know exactly how it worked, but the “Glowing Box of Destiny,” as Han called it, contained the names of every Force-sensitive child in the galaxy. And Eridia Tano was at the top of his list, because of her distant relation to he and Leia's father.   
Han’s face turned cold. “You mean to tell me we’re going after a bounty hunter?”  
Luke didn’t quite understand. “Yes. Is that a problem?”  
Leia smiled. “Smugglers have a thing against bounty hunters,” she explained. “He’s just being childish.” She ruffled his hair and he glared, making her laugh.   
Luke shook his head and ducked out of the cockpit. “Well, I’m going to go try to talk to her, now. Come if you want.” He descended the ramp and emerged into the sunlight of Corvala, the planet’s capital. It was a very wooded planet, covered also in seas and mountains and valleys, but the city sat in the middle of the plains. Luke greeted a few people who recognized him from his role in the rebellion. He ran into that wherever he went, recently. Older people called him “Master Jedi.” Was that what the Jedi of the old order felt like? Whatever the feeling was, he still wasn’t sure whether or not he liked it.   
As he walked, Han and Chewbacca came up on either side of him. “I ain’t stayin’ back with the ship,” he said. “Bounty hunter or not.”  
“Good, good,” Luke said, glad for their company. He had no idea what the reaction was going to be when he told her that she had the power to manipulate the Force. It wasn’t a revelation someone had everyday. He decided to ignore the thought. They would cross that bridge when they got to it “Where’s Leia?” he asked. It wasn’t like her to stay back with the ship. Not lately, anyway.   
Han shrugged. “She said something about going to check out the local culture or some other bullshit. Honestly, I don’t know what’s going on with her lately.”  
Luke’s eyebrows creased. “How so?”   
Han shrugged. “She’s not talking to me lately. Like, wherever I go, she doesn’t. If we split up, she always goes with someone else, you know?”  
Luke pondered that for a moment. She had been acting strangely lately. She was always a bit bipolar, but it had gotten worse lately. Luke was about to mention something when he recognized where they were. He pointed at the house at the end of the street they were walking. “That’s it.”   
Chewbacca made a noise and Han interpreted, “He’s wondering why she would live in this city, of all places.” He made a face. “I’m wondering why a bounty hunter would settle on Shili. Nothing ever happens here. Don’t the Togruta people all love each other?”  
Luke shrugged. He didn’t particularly feel like correcting Han at this moment. “Mandalorians are pacifists, too, and Boba Fett was certainly not going to follow that rule.”  
Han shook his head as they approached the door. “And look where that got him.”  
Luke rolled his eyes and knocked on the door. It swung open to a very impatient looking Togruta with grey eyes and dull white markings on her rust red skin. She looked about twenty. She raised her eyebrows, waiting for them to introduce themselves. Luke took the cue. “Good afternoon, Ms. Tano.” He bowed slightly, as was customary. “I am Luke Skywalker and these are my friends, Han Solo and Chewbacca. We’re here from Coruscant to--”  
“Look,” She interrupted with a light accent. “I know who you are, I Probably know why you’re here, but I am in no mood to deal with—" she stopped as someone shouted from the back of the house in Togruti. Eridia huffed and responded in kind, looking up at the ceiling as if pleading for help.   
She looked back at the three on her doorstep and said, "Fine, come in. I might as well hear you out." She turned back into the house and Han, Luke and Chewbacca exchanged looks before following.   
The house was small, just enough space for two people and a guest to live comfortably. The front room was a conjoined dining room and kitchen with a square table in the center, ringed by four chairs. Eridia gestured for them to sit and they did. “Would you like anything to drink?” she asked.   
Luke hesitated, knowing it could be rude for him to refuse. “Just water, please.”  
She shrugged and looked to Han and Chewbacca. Han requested water and Chewie grunted. Han started to interpret. “He says he--”  
“I can hear,” she interrupted, looking slightly insulted. She pulled out two glasses and filled them with water, passing them to Han and Luke. “So, what’s the problem? What brought you to my little hole in the wall?” She paused, but not long enough for Luke to formulate his answer. “Did I do something wrong? Or have you come to seek my… special brand of help?” She seemed to enjoy the idea of the three of them needing to hire a bounty hunter.   
Luke shook his head. “We just want to talk. I have some news that could… well you might find it interesting.” He really didn’t know how to say it. This was the part he had never practiced.   
She raised her eyebrows expectantly. “Go on…”  
He took a deep breath. “I have been charged with re-creating the Jedi order,” he began. “That requires me to find those who are more sensitive to the Force than normal. These people are scattered all over the galaxy. All different races, ages, systems--”  
“What he’s trying to say,” Han interrupted, “is that you’re a Jedi, kid.”  
She didn’t speak. She flickered between several different emotions, favoring confusion. “I… What?” She shook her head. “This has to be some kind of sick joke, right? I mean, I’m a bounty hunter, that’s it.” She leaned heavily on the back of the chair in front of her. “I’m no one special,” she insisted with conviction.   
Han laughed--probably an unwise decision. “I find that hard to believe. It takes a lot of talent to be a bounty hunter on Shili.”  
She glared at him and Like sensed she was tempted to strangle him. He really couldn’t blame her. Instead, she turned to him. “How How do you know this?” she snapped.   
He hesitated, not knowing how secret he wanted to keep the Holocron. “A Jedi can sense those who have a sensitivity to the Force. It is very strong with you.”  
She shook her head angrily. “That can’t be possible. There is no way I’ve gone my whole life without noticing I’m some… freak. You have to be mistaken.”  
Luke sat forward in his chair. “Ms. Tano, I understand this is a bit of a sensitive subject, but I need to ask you about your mother.” Her face hardened and her eyes turned a bit cold. Luke continued before she could kick them out. “I just need to know what you know of her life before she was a bounty hunter.”  
Confusion again replaced some of the cold in her eyes. Luke wondered what it was like to be in her shoes at that moment. “What do you mean? She was always a bounty hunter. And what does that have to do with me supposedly being part of this Jedi club of yours?” He could sense anger and frustration welling up inside her. Perhaps they should have been a bit more careful with how they told her.   
Instead, Han dug the hologram generator out of his pocket and turned it on, this time having it open to Ahsoka’s profile. “This is her, right?” He wasn’t harsh. In fact, this was probably the most caring Luke had ever see him. It was bizarre, to say the least.   
Eridia snatched the hologram generator from the table and studied the figure before her. “That’s her,” she confirmed slowly, sounding shaken. “I’ve never seen a picture of her so young…” She pulled the chair out from the table and sat heavily. She looked over at Luke. “I think It’s time you explained this from the beginning.”  
She didn’t sound angry, but confused. Maybe a bit shaken. Luke could understand that feeling, finding out his past was a lie--not quite knowing if he should hate it, try to understand it, or just run away from it. Some days he still wasn’t sure. He took a deep breath, ready for a long story.   
“Since the battle of Yavin, I’ve taken on the task of rebuilding the Jedi order. Part of that job is to sift through all the old records. I have to figure out what went wrong to cause the fall of the Jedi and the Republic and figure out how to fix that for the future.” He hesitated, deciding how much he really wanted to share. “I found the records of a woman named Ahsoka Tano when I was sifting through bounty hunters that the Jedi kept an eye on. I knew I recognized her name but I didn’t put it together until I started looking through the records of the Jedi, themselves.” Eridia looked like she finally understood. “Your mother was a Jedi Padawan,” He confirmed.   
For a few seconds, she didn’t speak. He could sense her processing the information, putting the pieces together. Finally, she said, “It makes sense… but how is that possible? She used to tell me stories of the Jedi. She told me that they weren’t allowed to form relationships or attachment. So how can she be my mother?”  
Luke knew he had reached the painful part. It hurt for him, just knowing he would have to tell her. But maybe she would take it better. She was a bounty hunter, after all. he would be used to stories like this. He decided to tell her all he understood of the situation. “Just before the fall of the Jedi, there was a bombing of the Temple on Coruscant. She was framed for the crime, and for that she was expelled from the order. When her master tracked down the real terrorist and exonerated her, she was offered a full pardon and asked to come back to the Jedi. As far as I know, she refused and left the order permanently.”  
She studied the three of them for another moment. “So what brought you to me?”  
Luke didn’t know how to respond to that. What was he supposed to say--The Glowing Cube of Destiny told him? Thankfully, Chewie came to his rescue.   
Eridia nodded. “I guess I can’t take up that line of work without getting some attention.” She looked back at Luke and he couldn’t read her expression--nor could he sense what she was feeling for some reason. “So why are you telling me all of this?”  
“As the only official Jedi still around,” he said with no small amount of pride, “I want to invite you to join me in rebuilding the order. I can sense that you are very sensitive to the Force, and with some training, you would make a great Jedi.”  
She processed the offer, staring down at the table. Luke noticed an elderly Togruta woman standing in the doorway of one of the two bedrooms adjacent to the dining room. She looked straight at him and then back at Eridia. How had he not seen her before?  
Finally, Eridia looked between the three of them. “That is a tempting offer, Master Jedi, but I have to refuse. I have already chosen my path, and I can’t just decide to be a Jedi. From what my mother told me, It’s more of a commitment than I am willing to make right now. Or really ever.” She looked at Luke with sad eyes. “I’m sorry, but I have to stay here.”   
Han opened his mouth to respond but the transmitter on Luke’s wrist beeped. He answered it and said, “What is it?”   
Leia’s voice came through uncertainty. “I just got a transmission from C-3P0. The Diplomatic Convoy he was with on Catonemoida is in trouble. They were still loyal to the Empire, I suppose, so negotiations went south. They’re requesting your help.”  
Luke nodded to Han and Chewbacca. “We’ll be right there.” They stood and he extended his hand to her. “Whether or not you want to join the Jedi, we could use your help.”   
She shook her head. “I only take contracts that pay, and I don’t pick sides. Besides, I need to take care of my grandmother.” The old woman who stood in the doorway smiled sadly, as if she knew something that negated everything Eridia had said. Eridia handed back the hologram generator. “Maybe next time.”  
Luke nodded, still slightly disappointed that he couldn’t convince her to reach her potential. “Next time,” he promised.   
They took their leave, and were almost halfway down the street when the elderly woman they had seen in the house came running up behind them, shouting in Togruti. The three stopped in the middle of the street and turned to face her. She bent over gasping and wheezing, so Luke reached down to help her stand. “You have to… You have to let her come with you.”  
Han had to stoop to look her in the eye. She wasn’t the tallest woman in the universe. “What do you mean?” he asked. “She refused to help us.”  
She shook her head and straightened, having regained her breath faster than Luke would have expected. “She just has to process everything. Just give her some time.”  
Han exchanged a look with Luke. “Time is something we may not have,” Luke said.   
“Nonsense!” she exclaimed. “Pretend to have problems with the ship! Surely a few minutes would do no harm?”  
Luke pondered that for a moment. Han nodded, agreeing with her. “We could manage a delay. I could use the time to tune up the hyperdrive, anyway.”  
He looked back at the woman. “But what about you? Eridia said she needed to stay back and take care of--”  
“I can take care of myself. These bones aren’t that old.” She smiled and Luke sensed that she wasn’t going to take no for an answer. He nodded.   
“Should we go back and offer again?”  
The woman shook her head. “No, she’d never say yes. Let her come to you.”  
Chewbacca answered and the woman nodded. “Yes, she will come. All she talks about is adventure. She will join you.” With that, the strange old woman turned and walked back to her home as if it was decided.   
Han shrugged. “No harm in a few minutes of waiting. Come on, we need to get back to the ship if I’m going to tune up the hyperdrive.”

* - * - * - *

Eridia watched them leave from the kitchen window. “I wish I could go with them,” she mused to herself.   
Her grandmother made a noise. “Then, why don’t you?”  
She stared down at her glass. She needed a good, strong drink, but her grandmother wouldn’t let her keep alcohol in the house. “You know why.”   
When her mother had left, just before she died, she had left her with Grandma Kali. That was what she always did when she went out to fill a contract. ‘Stay with your grandmother,’ she had said. ‘Protect her. You can do that, can’t you?’  
Eridia had nodded and hugged her. ‘Come back soon.’  
‘I will,’ she had said. That was over twelve years ago. Eridia was ten.   
Grandma Kali tugged at her arm so that Erida would look her in the eye. “I’m not that old, you know,” she said. “Go. Have your adventure.”  
Eridia took a deep breath. “I had my chance to say yes and I didn’t. It’s too late.”  
“Now, now.” Grandma Kali cupped her face in one hand. “It’s never too late to follow your destiny.”  
Eridia paused, then nodded. “I guess I should pack a few things, then.”  
“I guess you should.” She patted her cheek and moved toward the door. “If you need me, I will be out for a walk… Goodbye, my Dia. I will miss you.”   
She leaned forward and kissed her grandmother’s forehead. “I will be back.”  
“You better!” Grandma Kali exclaimed with a smile. “Someone needs to take care of me when I actually do get old!” She laughed and, like that, she was gone. Eridia knew for the first time what it felt like to be her grandmother, her just disappearing at the drop of a hat, not knowing when they would see each other again. That was her life--stroll away the moment things get too difficult, never think about anything too deeply, never lose her sense of apathy. That made everything easier. It didn’t always work out that way. But she was a wanderer. She didn’t let herself get attached to places, or even people. She would drop everything for her grandmother, but that was different--she was family. She could only hope that Grandma Kali understood that.   
She grabbed a bag from her room and filled it with a few changes of clothes and some supplies she knew she would need, like her extra blasters and some credits. A thought came to her. She ran into her mother’s old room. It was covered in dust and cobwebs, but it still smelled like her mom. Nothing had moved in twelve years.   
She shook her head at the thought and moved to her mother’s nightstand. There was a small wooden box in the top drawer that Eridia had never thought she would open. The story was that she had fallen into dire straits and taken a contract on an old Jedi. She had taken him in his sleep, but decided to spare him and let him go before turning him in. The story went that he gave her his lightsaber out of gratitude. Now, that story was coming into question.   
She took the box and hesitantly opened it, picking up the metal cylinder inside. She had never lit it. Something told her she didn’t want to.   
“No time now,” she told herself. “I need to run.”  
She grabbed her pack and jogged out the door, shoving the lightsaber into a pocket on her belt. She ran down to the loading docks at the other end of town where she guessed their ship was. Sure though, there stood Skywalker on the ramp of an old, overly-outfitted ship she recognized--she had seen that ship on a contract before. Not that she would ever take it. The pilot was crazy.  
Solo walked out from under the ship and turned to her. “Hey, look, Luke! Your bounty hunter came, after all!”   
She rolled her eyes at him and looked up at Luke. The ramp seemed to be broken, as it was stuck halfway down. “Engine troubles?” she asked.   
Solo pulled himself up and said, “Yeah, the hyperdrive got knocked out on our way here. I fixed it.”  
Luke gave her an apologetic smile and offered to help her up. “I’m glad you decided to come, Eridia.”  
She took his hand and he pulled her up--though she would have been fine on her own. “Please,” she said, suddenly finding herself face-to-face with him. “Call me Dia.”


End file.
